Oak Ridge Today

School budget would ask city for $650K, use $1.75M from fund balance

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Oak Ridge Board of Education May 26, 2015

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a budget that would use $1.75 million from the school system’s fund balance and ask the city for about $650,000. The request for more money still has to be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:12 a.m. May 27.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday approved a budget that would use $1.75 million from the school system’s fund balance and ask the city for about $650,000.

Those two actions would help Oak Ridge Schools cover a deficit of roughly $638,000 and meet a total of $1.75 million in other desired expenses, or “additional investment,” including:

  • about $1.1 million for 3 percent pay raises with benefits,
  • $484,000 for step increases based on experience, and
  • approximately $211,000 for staff, including a communications director, four technology-related positions, and a teacher’s assistant for an elementary behavioral class. The four technology-related jobs include an instructional technology coach, an applications administrator, and two technology technicians.

[Read more…]

Anderson County school board to discuss compromise on raises

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Board of Education will meet in a special-called session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night (May 26) in the boardroom on the fifth floor of the Jolley Building in downtown Clinton.

The board is expected to discuss a compromise put forward by its Budget Committee to seek 2 percent raises for county teachers instead of the 4 percent raises they initially called for in budget negotiations. Funding just those raises at 4 percent would require the equivalent of a 23.5-cent property tax increase, which is highly unlikely to be approved by the Anderson County Commission.

Budget deliberations are continuing, and adjustments are still being made to the system’s proposal for the new fiscal year that begins July 1, including a reported $800,000 in cuts made last week by school officials.

Following this evening’s special-called meeting, BOE members are expected to meet with county commissioners to continue working on the fiscal blueprint for 2015-2016.

See Oak Ridge Schools proposed budget here

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Oak Ridge Schools has posted its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 on its website.

The May 13 budget proposal had a starting deficit of $807,890. That deficit was due to revenues not keeping up with expenditures, officials said.

There was an additional investment of $1.9 million requested. The biggest part of that, about $1 million, was for a proposed 3 percent cost of living adjustment with benefits. An extra $484,000 was requested for experience step increases with benefits.

There were also additional staff requests that were part of the $1.9 million “additional investment.” The staff requests would total about $363,000, including for a communications director and four technology-related positions. [Read more…]

School board to consider budget, balanced calendar tonight

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider the proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 during a meeting tonight (Tuesday, May 26). It’s the first of two readings of the budget, and tonight’s meeting will include a public hearing.

Also tonight, the school board will consider balanced calendar options for the 2016-2017 school year. Three options have been presented. See the three options here: Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar, Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar B, and Oak Ridge Schools 2016-2017 Balanced Calendar B V2.

In other business tonight, the Board of Education will consider: [Read more…]

Roane County has public hearing, work session on budget on June 2

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Roane County will have a public hearing and work session on the budget for next year on Tuesday, June 2.

The public hearing on the budget for Fiscal Year 2016, which starts July 1, will start at 6:30 p.m. June 2 in the Qualls Commission Room at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston.

The Roane County Budget Committee will meet after that public hearing in the Qualls Commission Room at the Courthouse.

Then, the Roane County Commission will meet in a work session to discuss the FY 2016 budget in the Qualls Commission Room at the Courthouse in Kingston.

The meeting is open to the public.

Rocky Top has budget workshop, special meeting on June 2

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The City of Rocky Top will have a special-called meeting on Tuesday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. to present the 2015-2016 budget. A budget workshop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. the same day.

The next fiscal year starts July 1.

BBB: OS water, sewer rate hike likely

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Oliver Springs Town Council met Thursday night in regular session and then held a budget workshop. Our partners at BBB-TV report that the main topic at the workshop was how much of an increase in water and sewer rates will be necessary to offset a projected shortfall of almost $248,000 in the city’s Water and Sewer Department.

The city has already borrowed some $2.5 million to pay for repairs to the city’s aging sewer plant as mandated by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and repaying that loan led to much of the projected shortfall.

During the workshop, officials seemed to indicate that a 15 percent hike will be needed this year, but that will not be enough to meet future needs. Keeping the city’s Water and Sewer department going could require 2 percent to 3 percent rate hikes each year for the next several years.

No votes were taken during Thursday’s work session. The Oliver Springs Water Board will meet again on June 4 and could take some action at that time.

Clinton Council OKs budget, 15.5-cent tax increase

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Clinton City Hall

Information from WYSH Radio

Note: This story was updated at 10:52 a.m. May 20.

The Clinton City Council voted on Monday to approve its budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1 on first reading, and it includes a 15.5-cent property tax increase.

Last week, WYSH reported that a three- or four-cent tax increase would be necessary to pay for an increase in insurance costs and to pay for the salaries and benefits of four full-time firefighters. The costs associated with those firefighters were paid for by a FEMA grant for the past two years, but they became the responsibility of the city this year.

Following a late-week budget workshop, another seven cents was added to the proposed tax increase to pay for the city taking over all of the costs associated with school resource officers at the city’s three schools ($62,000), hiring a codes enforcement/police officer ($50,000), and to set aside $100,000 to start a street-paving fund aimed at preventing the city from having to borrow money for street improvement projects in the future. [Read more…]

Anderson mayor: Budget proposal holds spending steady, no tax increase

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The budget proposed by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank for the next fiscal year would keep most county departments at current-year spending levels and it includes no tax increase, a press release said.

The proposed general fund budget was presented to the Anderson County Budget Committee on Tuesday afternoon, and it was unanimously approved at Thursday evening’s budget meeting, the Mayor’s Office said in the release.

The next fiscal year begins July 1.

The balanced $25,088,157 budget for the county’s general operating fund proposes maintaining a focus on stabilizing spending levels until “we have full economic recovery,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools has five upcoming budget meetings in May

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Oak Ridge Schools will meet to discuss the Fiscal Year 2016 budget on the following dates:

  • May 13 at 5:30 p.m.—Budget presented to board
  • May 20 at 5:30 p.m.—Budget work session
  • May 21 at 5:30 p.m.—Budget work session
  • May 26 at 5:30 p.m.—Regular meeting of the board and public hearing of budget—First Reading
  • May 27 at 4:30 p.m.—Budget work session (if needed)
  • May 28 at 4:30 p.m.—Adoption of budget—Second Reading

Gooch: Main Street No. 1 priority, gives updates on National Park, reappraisals, airport

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Main Street Oak Ridge Site Plan April 16, 2015

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch on Tuesday said his number one priority for the community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge, which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. Pictured above is a cropped picture of the Main Street Oak Ridge site plan as of April 16. A link to a larger PDF version of the plan is included in the story below.

 

Note: Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave an update on positive developments and challenges during a talk to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, May 5. Here is a lightly edited version of his remarks, which organized the positive developments and challenges into sections. Gooch was appointed mayor by the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council on November 24. This is his first four-year term on the City Council.

It is a distinct privilege for me to serve as your mayor, but I always preface my remarks by saying that I am not speaking today for Council or for the city manager. I have one vote on Council, but I do consider myself to be the chairman of the board of directors for the city.

In that capacity, as I enter my sixth month of service as mayor, I want to share my thoughts about positive developments in our city, discuss near-term challenges that we face, share the results that I have from the community survey that I have been conducting, and leave time for your questions and comments.

First. My number one priority for our community is the successful development of Main Street Oak Ridge (which would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall), and it is moving forward. Last week, Crosland Southeast announced that MDC Development Group of Atlanta will be the hotel developer for the project. MDC is also a major developer in the senior housing industry and 15 months ago opened Canterfield Oak Ridge Assisted Living. It has been very successful and well-received in our community.

I was advised yesterday (Monday, May 4) that the retail leasing component of the Main Street project is moving forward, as are the negotiations with a developer for the multi-family housing component of the Main Street project. Groundbreaking and demolition for Main Street is on schedule to begin by June 30. [Read more…]

Groundbreaking, demolition for Main Street Oak Ridge on schedule for June 30, mayor says

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Groundbreaking and demolition for Main Street Oak Ridge, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, is on schedule to begin by June 30, Mayor Warren Gooch said Tuesday.

The $80 million redevelopment of the 60-acre site in the heart of the city is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated project of the past decade.

Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has proposed Main Street Oak Ridge, announced last week that MDC Development Group of Atlanta will be the hotel developer at the site.

“MDC is also a major developer in the senior housing industry and 15 months ago opened Canterfield Oak Ridge Assisted Living,” Gooch said. “It has been very successful and well-received in our community.” [Read more…]